The important next step in exploring appropriate community outreach is to identify the stakeholders. Ultimately, this answers the question: Who are the people in your neighborhood and how are they connected?
It would be helpful to use the chart you completed in the asset mapping section to think through the categories of people present in your community. Business owners, government leaders, service professionals, religious and educational contributors, formal and informal members of the community.
Think about people who have been in your community for a long time – What can they tell you about how your neighborhood is growing and changing? They are a wealth of information about the history of your neighborhood. What are the conscious or unconscious patterns they have seen in the community over time? Are they optimistic or pessimistic for the future?
Think about newcomers to the neighborhood- What influenced their decision to move here? Where did they come from? What unique perspective can they share that is hard to see for longtimers?
Think about people who might be affected by any intervention in your community. Be aware of stakeholders who might be perceived as negative influences in the community but still could influence and affect the outcomes of your intervention. One example I have heard about is a street gang who did not appreciate the intervention of a church into their community. Eventually, they were able to work out an appropriate engagement, but it is crucial to recognize the positive and negative stakeholders and how they relate to each other.
We need to reflect on the stakeholders in a community before launching an intervention, because who our neighbors are affect how we serve and love them.
One of the lessons learned during our missions emphasis in March. The mission is the same (love the lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself), but how we do the mission might change because our neighbors change.
The world is changing rapidly, perspectives are diverse and varied. If we who love Jesus want to impact the world around us, we need to be willing to learn about our neighbors and be flexible enough to meet them where they are with empathy and humility.
KATHY PIERBURG 